Luanda's vertical slums

Submitted by Shanta Devarajan
On Wed, 02/09/2011

This building, across from my hotel in Angola's capital, is a squatter settlement.

People occupied individual units after the building was damaged during the civil war (the top floor has bullet holes). They use their own generators and water tanks (hauling water to the top floor is a business).

The city is choking with congestion. Schoolchildren spend five hours a day traveling to and from school.

The government is trying to improve urban services, not just in Luanda but in other cities. Over half the population lives in urban areas. If they improve urban services, even more people will move to the cities. A conundrum or basic development economics?